MOZZARELLA IN CARROZZA

Crunchy buffalo mozzarella fried sandwiches

This weaponised type of mozzarella sticks is popular in the vast area between Naples and Rome and, although some variations propose different stuffing or accompanying sauces, all of them strictly include buffalo mozzarella.

This vegetarian recipe can be consumed as a snack in the afternoon, an appetiser with your aperitivo, or even as an on-the-go street food, and it tastes even better if the mozzarella used has been opened the day before and left to dry.

In fact, fried mozzarella sandwiches were created as a way to recycle leftovers and turning them into something really appetizing for both children and adults!

This is, like many of our recipes, part of the Italian cucina povera – that collection of traditional cooking techniques and recipes that originated from Italy's rural peasant populations.

A little history

According to folklore, its name mozzarella in carrozza [mozzarella in a carriage] comes from the resemblance of the strands of melted mozzarella that pull from the sandwich to the reins of a horse and carriage.

Others instead justify the name because the mozzarella locked in between two slices of bread looks like in between the two sides of an old chariot.

Fact is that since the beginning of the 19th century Mozzarella in Carrozza has been a favourite in both regions of Lazio and Campania, and from there it has conquered restaurants in the whole world.

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INGREDIENTS👇🏻

• 300g | 10.6oz buffalo mozzarella cheese

• 6 slices of thin-sliced white bread

• 5 eggs

• 1L | 35.2fl oz peanut oil

• plain flour

• breadcrumbs

The recipe step by step

1. Slice the buffalo mozzarella cheese and dab dry with kitchen paper
   

2. Fill evenly the thin-sliced sandwiches with mozzarella, cut the crust off and half in triangles
   

3. Coat carefully each triangle with plain flour
   

4. Mix the eggs and season with sea salt, then coat the triangle in the mixture before coating them carefully in breadcrumbs
   

5. Let them rest in the fridge for 30 mins
   

6. Coat the triangles again in egg mix and then breadcrumbs
   

7. Heat up the peanut oil to 170°C | 338°F, then immerge the coated sandwiches two at a time
   

8. Fry until golden-brown, turning them around occasionally
   

9. Dry the excessive oil on kitchen paper and add salt
   

10. Listen to the crunch before tasting! 😋